Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Editor's Note: Hey, guys! I'm off this week, but Cassandra's stepping in so she can talk pirates with y'all! Don't worry. Pirates are rad. And I'm a mite jealous. Onward!

Background & Significance: I feel like this story gets a bit of a bum rap, or not even
that—more like lost in the shuffle. It’s
the first serial of season 4, yes, but it’s the penultimate in Hartnell’s run,
so I feel it gets overshadowed by “The Tenth Planet” and just forgotten
about. But it is sort of a big deal in
its own right.

“The Smugglers” is the first proper adventure Ben and Polly
have with the Doctor, which is cool; not their introduction, maybe, but I
maintain that introductions are far, far different than first adventures. Michael Craze and Anneke Wills are adorable,
and I think they work quite well as a team; perhaps not as iconic as Jamie and
Zoe, but still good.

It’s also the first time Doctor
Who had a major location shoot.
Instead of being confined to London, as it had in the past whenever a
location was needed, the production team would be filming for 5 days in
Cornwall. A big step for our intrepid
sci-fi program.

This story is also directed by Julia Smith, one of the first
women directors for the BBC, and written by Brian Hayles, who penned such “The Curse of Peladon” (and some other lackluster stories). So that is awesome.

But enough of all that, let's take a closer look, shall we?

Commentary!:

Part 1

I haven’t talked about or seen a Hartnell story in what
feels like quite some time. It’s always
nice when I get to revisit a Doctor and companion team I haven’t spent some
time with for a while, almost like catching up with an old friend over coffee.

Am I being ridiculously over-sentimental and a little bit
creepy right now? Yes, probably. Spending two hours on tumblr will do that to
a person.

Anyway, the point I was hoping to reach and then got
hopelessly derailed by my brain in the middle of my thought process is this: I
don’t think Hartnell gets enough love.
It’s a tough break, being the first of 11, and the cranky,
slightly-racist grandpa to boot. People
acknowledge and respect you for originating the legend, but I don’t think a lot
of the fandom love extends beyond that.

Which is a shame, because (and this is the other point that
I was hoping to reach) I think “The Smugglers” is quite good. But it gets buried amidst everything else,
even by other stories in the Hartnell era.
I forgot this story even existed before Matt reminded me a couple weeks
ago that I was blogging it. Honestly, though, you’d think the Doctor vs.
Pirates would be talked about way more and a huge deal, and yet…

Perhaps all the non-attention being paid is because it doesn’t
exist anymore? But that makes no
sense. There are plenty of stories that
don’t exist anymore that people talk about all the time; with good reason, yes,
but come on. PIRATES. Srsly.

While I’m on this soapbox of things that need more lovin’, I
should probably mention Ben and Polly. I
mean, they’re not my favorite companions ever, not by a long shot, but they are
a lot of fun, and they are by no means standard. I like to think of them as a hip, younger
version of Ian and Barbara: they work great together, are adorably shippable,
and help usher in a new era of Doctor Who. They deserve a little more credit, I
think. They’re just a lot of fun. And this is their first real adventure! It’s always awesome to see a companion in
action for the first time, taken out of their element and forced to deal with
the whole traveling through time and space thing.

And it is interesting to me how they join up, because they,
much like Barbara and Ian did, just blunder into the TARDIS with no idea what
they’re about to get into. (I really
like looking at parallels between different characters.) The Doctor gets mad at them for breaking and
entering, but I think he does it out of principle this time, really; and it
doesn’t really make any other sense, because you’d think he’d be able to see
the door from the control room or something, since he doesn’t take off until
they’re both safely inside, so it’s not like it’s a huge surprise to him that
Ben and Polly came aboard. Plus, the
Doctor gets over it really quickly, which just makes me believe even more that
his indignant anger was just a front (and a way to reintroduce the concept of
the TARDIS and the show to potential new audiences -ahem-), which I like,
because yes, the Doctor can be crabby sometimes, but really, he’s grown so
much, he doesn’t really mind having company, and enjoys their presence. It’s a sweet little touch. (But the choice to have the Doctor be a
mouthpiece for some crazy TARDIS exposition is not and is so glaring it hurts,
and it pulled me right out of the moment, lickity split.)

I’ve been rambling, but whatever. Another thing I wanted to point out is just
how much fun this episode is. Ben and Polly don’t believe the Doctor about
time travel (honestly, who would?) even though they have visibly moved out of
London and are now on the coast, so they wander off and the Doctor just
chuckles to himself in that way he does, and it’s so charming and funny to
me. And then we meet Longfoot, the
Church Warden, and there’s something slightly off and fishy about him, but we
can’t quite place it. And there’s
intrigue, and plotting, and threatening, and a pirate throws a fucking knife
into someone’s back, and Polly is crossdressing, and the Doctor gets kidnapped
by pirates, Ben and Polly are arrested, and there’s a guy with a fucking hook
for a hand. Jesus. I just… I love it.

…I’m just gonna stop now and go onto the next part.

Part 2

So this is a good part two.
Why, Cassandra? Well, let me tell
you all about it.

The whole point of a part two is to deepen the mystery and
heighten the stakes. Which this does
amiably and effectively, I think.

I mean, I think the primary mystery to this story has to do
with Captain Avery’s treasure, and who knows about it, and where it is. Captain Pike wants his hand and hook on it,
and so does Cherub, so that’s their main motivator. They’re prepared to kill for it, they’re
prepared to kidnap and lie and cheat and swindle for it, so, obviously it’s
important. And the Doctor and friends
are involved because the Doctor is the only one who knows where it is
(ostensibly).

So there’s that, which is what we focused on in episode
one. But there’s all these other
subplots happening too, like adventures with Ben and Polly, and what the deal
with the Innkeeper is, and how much of a dick the Squire is. All of these things get flushed out in
episode two, as well as the primary mystery concerning the circumstances of
Avery’s treasure, and why Pike wants it so bad.

And I like how, with this episode, all of these plots are
starting to converge. The Squire teams
up with Captain Pike, and then Ben and Polly get dragged into it all while
investigating the tomb and making a new friend (whom we should be going more
into detail in the next episode. See how all of this works?)

As for heightening the stakes, I think that happens pretty
well too. The thing I most associate
with heightening the stakes is the progression of the cliffhangers; in my mind,
the first one should make you go, “Oh crap, what happens next,” and the second
should be “Oh crap, how are they gonna solve this?” and upwards from there
until the penultimate episode makes you react in some form of “oh shit!” And the reason you do this is because the
stakes have been raised, the status quo has changed, and it is awesome.

The way this episode raises the stakes are twofold: 1) by
bringing Ben and Polly into the pirates/Squire kerfuffle, and 2) having Mr.
Kewper tell the Doctor that Pike will stop at nothing to get his hand and hook
on the treasure, even if that means destroying an entire fucking village. That’s some heavy shit right there, and
starts off this deadline for the Doctor to solve the problem. And as for Ben and Polly, bringing them in
gives us a sense of more immediate and present danger, along with the looming
of the deadline. It’s an effective
storytelling choice, and I can definitely say that I am a fan.

To the extent that I’m not even sad this doesn’t exist
visually. I mean, of course I’m sad on
principle, but the audio alone on this is just fine, I think. Normally I feel slighted, and it obviously feels
like something is missing here, but halfway through and I’m not getting that
vibe at all. And it’s still interesting
and engaging without the video, and I think that’s a huge accomplishment. I mean, the only thing I’d be disappointed
about not seeing is the moment in the first episode where Cherub throws the
knife at Longfoot, but that snippet exists and I was able to see how badass it
was, so I’m all set.

Another reason I’m a big fan of this episode: it’s fucking
hilarious. Seriously, Ben and Polly in a
jail cell, my first thought was I just want a spin off with them as prison
buddies. They get into some shenanigans,
Polly gets over her fear of rats and just becomes some kinda Amazonian rat
warrior princess, they have an argument over who gets to sleep on the slightly
bigger pile of straw that results in a passion-fueled hate-makeout session, Ben
gets acquainted with the other guys in the prison and they have bro poker
nights on Fridays.

(I’m so sorry I’m not sorry.)

Anyway, strange Doctor Who fanfic thoughts aside, the bit
where Ben and Polly convince Tom that the Doctor is a warlock and Polly’s about
to kill Tom with some crazy fucked up voodoo is so funny to me. It’s just… it’s perfect. I love how insanely
what-the-fuck-is-happening it is.

I also enjoy how debonair the Doctor is in the rather
lengthy scene he shares with Captain Pike, basically flattering the shit out of
him while they both drink like propah gents to try and get out of trouble. It’s really amusing to me, and just further
underscores how suave the Doctor can be, even at this early stage in his
regenerations.

I enjoy that this is a historical, because I genuinely love
historicals if they’re done properly (and not even pseudo-historicals, I’m
talking real historicals that have at least a bit of accuracy to them). But can I just point out how unbelieveably
racist this is in parts. Cherub says a
line right up front while he’s threatening the Doctor with torture about “Mexican
Indians” which is just… oh my god. AND there is a Black man on the pirate crew,
presumably Jamaican, and his name is literally Jamaica. I’m just… I don’t even
know. My brain is melting.

Part 3

I hope this is at least mildly amusing for you all. I try and throw in some humor when I do these
blogs, but I think this is a bit overboard.
But hey, at least I’m still talking about this story and haven’t dove
into expanding that Ben/Polly jail spinoff for the rest of the time, yeah?

Can I just rant about how much of an asshole the Squire
is. I honestly hate him. Some of that hate might be because he was the
same actor who played that one magistrate guy in “The Mutants” and I fucking
hate that serial with all the passion within me. But the character himself is just a complete
ass. Fuck off, bro. And then he gives away the location of the
secret stash of smuggled stuff to this dude with a hook for a hand he’s just
met. Come on, dude. At that point, you deserve everything coming
to you.

I’m just fascinated by the amount of crazy intrigue
happening in this story. I like that
they just go with it, and it feels intelligent and non-pandering. Which I really really like quite a lot. It’s nice.
And it feels so organic to the story and not really contrived much at
all. Leave it to Brian Hayles, though,
for having a knack at all the intrigue.
He did bring us “The Curse of Peladon,” after all. I’m just really digging everything about
this, it’s so well-put-together.

And while I’m gushing about the writing, can I just say how
great some of this dialogue is? The
cadence and lyricism to it is quite glorious.
There’s just something about the language that I’m really infatuated
with. But then again, I’m in a really
good mood right now, so maybe that’s just it.

I really think Hartnell is on great form in this. From the scene where he pretends to tell
Kewper’s fortune with the deck of cards, to interacting with Ben and Polly and
trying to puzzle out the clues to the treasure, he’s just so great. And I really like the moment when, given the
chance, the Doctor chooses to stay and sort things out. I mean, as Ben points out, there is literally
nothing holding them there anymore, they are all together, they are free (for
the moment) and they know how to get back to the TARDIS. But the Doctor stops him, citing “moral
obligation” and I think it’s a really interesting keystone moment. Because the Doctor has grown so much in the
company of his former companions, that he feels responsible for the well-being
of this village that might be utterly destroyed by pirates. He chooses to get directly involved in the
events of this place, whereas his companions want nothing better than to get
the fuck out. Compare that to the Doctor’s
beginnings, where he just wanted to leave as soon as possible, and yet his
companions fought for him to listen to their concerns, and the well-being of
the inhabitants of the times and places they visited. It’s just really cool to me that the Doctor
and his companions have switched places, and he’s giving them some sort of
moral obligation too. Hartnell’s come
full circle.

I keep forgetting about Mr. Blake, the King’s revenue man,
but he’s pretty forgettable so far, honestly.
I mean, he shows up around the endish of episode two and then rides off
in episode 3. I know he comes back for
the finale, but I wish he stuck around a little more because he seems pretty
interesting and I just wanna get to know him better as a character, because all
the other characters in this (Doctor and companions excepted) are straight up
dicks.

I mean, Captain Pike is pretty suave and badass, but he’s a
ruthless villain too and he totally kills Jamaica and it’s awesome and scary
and there’s even blood. Which is probably
why the clip exists still, because other stations cut it out cuz it was getting
too crazy violent up in here. But I’m
not complaining, because I love that stuff, and I love that I at least get to
see some of this (and the best parts, to boot).

And yeah, the cliffhangers was pretty good. I’m always down
for more knife throwing. Let’s finish
this bad boy.

Part 4

So this episode starts with a bang (hehe, gunshot, I’m so
clever) and doesn’t really let up until the end, which is awesome. This is the one episode that I retract my
statement of earlier and actively wish that this episode still existed, because
oh my god what. Literally everything
happens in this. Why can it not be in my
eyeballs?

I’m just incredibly impressed with the pacing in this entire
story. Maybe I’m just used to the slow
burn, but it’s really awesome how everything just builds and builds in this and
I’m not really left wanting a whole heck of a lot, and then, bam, this episode
happens, and it’s a nonstop riot. It’s
thrilling, and exciting, and the only reason I’m not puking rainbows right now
is because it doesn’t exist.

(So I really like pirates, you guys, don’t judge me.)

I mean, this really has everything. Buried treasure, cryptic clues, the Doctor
bargaining with a pirate captain, swordfights, vicious militia ambushes, Ben
and Polly wrestling with some evil Spaniard.
Like, what the fuck. It’s weird,
because you’d think that Hayles would have spread some of this stuff out, but
at this same time it makes no sense to.
It’s great that he’s always been building to this crazy hectic nonstop
finale, because everything just feels inevitable, like puzzle pieces falling
into place.

And I don’t really think there’s much else to talk about in
this. I think it’s a great part 4, and
it’s masterfully done. I’m still really
sad I didn’t get to see the swordfight between Pike and Cherub, and all those
pirate sons of bitches getting shot all over the place.

I guess I should talk about the Squire and his
kind-of-redemptive moment at the end, what with valiantly mustering his fat ass
up off the ground and wrassling with Pike so Blake can make the killing
shot. I guess it works, but I don’t feel
it’s earned at all, as opposed to everything else. I just really don’t want to like him, and now
Hayles is giving me a really good reason to. Because Pike was the villain, through and
through, but so was the Squire for a while, what with him being a general dick
and then teaming up with Pike for a bit.
But I’m just retroactively predisposed to not liking him, because of “The
Mutants”. Though the actor does do a
good job of portraying the unlikable Squire, I will give him that.

So the thing I will take away from this story is this:
obviously the Doctor is a way better person than I am, because everyone in this
story was a total asshole, and yet he stuck around and helped out anyway, when
I would have just bailed with Ben and Polly.

Which is why he has a TV show. And I do not.

Final Thoughts?: I’ve said it before, but I always enjoy being pleasantly
surprised by a Doctor Who episode,
especially one I’ve already seen.

To be honest, I didn’t remember this story at all, apart
from the fact that it had pirates. And I
talked a little about it before, but I don’t know why this story doesn’t get
more love, because it is awesome. Straight up.
I loved it this time around.
Which is genuinely surprising to me, because I usually get super figety
and bored during reconstructed stories, because they just don’t capture my
imagination in the way that I want them to (or they were meant to, let’s be
real). But this… this gave me everything
I wanted. Everything that I could
possibly want out of a Doctor vs. Pirates story, and I got it.

Compare this to “Curse of the Black Spot,” which I found out
while doing research for this is supposed to be the prequel/sequel to this
story, since it deals with Captain Avery and the circumstances of his “death.” “Black Spot” had pirate tropes, sure,
basically the same things this story had, but “The Smugglers” is just better.
It’s better at telling its story, it has a better structure, it’s just
more interesting to me. Which I never
thought I’d say. But it’s true.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and, if you haven’t seen/heard it
yet, I hope you do too. Because…
Pirates. Seriously.

Next Time!: 5th Doctor! The edge of time itself! Military Mining! Ground Swallowing! A Coat Rack! The Madness of Turlough! And Big Ol' Giant Bugs. Next Tuesday Matt is back to review "Frontios"!

About The Blog...

I'm a recentish Doctor Who fan (Summer 2008, really) who loves experiencing and discussing Doctor Who. From its triumphs to its flaws to its high points to its lows, we talk about it all and nothing is not fair game.

This blog discusses all the Doctors from Hartnell to McGann, covering all The Doctor Who stories from the classic run on television. Other people focus on the directing and the music and the performances, but my focus (because I work in television) is on the actual production, writing, and construction of these stories and you can find all of our entries via the index at the top of the blog.

You can also check out "The Doctor's Companion", a weekly audio podcast where my co-host Scott and I talk about all of Doctor Who. It's like this but a bit more casual and with tons of fun. You can subscribe to it in iTunes or download the shows directly and leave comments here.

It's a celebration of the best science fiction show of all time, a show we all know and love!